A man who had a heart attack and was hospitalised while on a golfing holiday in Spain is to take on one of the UK's most iconic cycling events.

Tony Park from Blackburn will ride in the British Heart Foundation's Manchester to Blackpool Night Ride exactly two years to the date since leaving the Spanish hospital.

And in participating in the the 52 mile cycle on October 7, the 54-year-old will be raising money for the charity's life saving research.

Mr Park said: "It was all a bit surreal, especially being far from home and my family, but my friend Andy, who’s doing the bike ride with me this weekend, stayed on in the hospital with me so I had a familiar face there."

Mr Park had been having chest pains in the year leading up the trip, but doctors ruled out heart problems after tests came back negative.

While playing a round of golf with friends on the course in Spain on September 30 2016, Mr Park started to get similar chest pains

He later went to hospital and at 3am the following morning the Spanish doctors confirmed he’d had a heart attack.

He said: "The University Hospital of Torrevieja was a fantastic hospital, but it didn’t have a specialist cardiac ward so I was moved to another hospital 45 minutes down the road.

"I took the view that in the situation I was in, I just had to place myself in the hands of the experts and just go along with what the doctors said."

Mr Park stayed in hospital in Spain for a week, and was discharged on Friday October 7 2016.

His wife Alison flew out to bring him home and help him recuperate.

At midnight on Saturday October 6, Mr Park and around 3,000 riders will set off from the Old Trafford Cricket Club in Manchester and ride to Blackpool's sea front.

On the same day, Mr Park's wife will be holding a dance event with all proceeds also going to the British Heart Foundation.